A group of secondary school students across Wandsworth have praised our Secondary Speech and Language Therapy service in a new information film.

Our service supports young people aged 11 to 16 who have speech, language and communication needs. We provide a dedicated therapist to every secondary school in Wandsworth, working with young people, teachers and parents.

In the video, one pupil called Yehya (pictured inset), now 18, describes how before his therapy “I couldn’t put my hand up in class to ask a question because I knew I would stammer”.

He says it affected his academic life and also his friendships, but now “my stammer barely affects my life anymore”.

Sandra, 15, said: “I’ve really enjoyed the therapy sessions. Working with the therapists has helped me build sentences. I’ve also learned how to talk differently with my teachers, in a more formal way than with my friends.”

Cathy Thom, Highly Specialist Speech Therapist, said: “The young people we work with have a range of needs, such as stammering, difficulties understanding language and expressing themselves, social communication needs and auditory memory difficulties – meaning they struggle to hold on to language long enough to process it.

“We provide one-to-one and group therapy and use approaches that best fit the individual’s needs. The service has a big impact on their education and helps prepare them for the future, whether that’s in building relationships, continuing education, or in the workplace.”

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